


then it swells and rushes and becomes a storm

by liveyourtemptation



Series: cisco ramon's interdimensional community network [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: AU, M/M, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 10:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9652070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liveyourtemptation/pseuds/liveyourtemptation
Summary: You're bound to me, Cisco doesn't say. He doesn't know whose fault this is or how it happened. But he can see it, like a string between them.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i will not stop until i have written all the aus. all of them. but really. who still writes soulmate aus in this day and age. i need to chill.

I.

Cisco realizes that something is going horribly wrong as soon as Barry leaves this earth with Harry and Jesse. It doesn't take them long to come back. Harry looks bad, one hand clutched over his heart and Barry has to keep him upright. Cisco closes the portal and he is in too much shock to panic.

 

“What happened?”

 

“He just dropped to the ground screaming. I don't know.” Poor Barry, how should he know what is going on.

 

Cisco wants to leave the room in the chaos but that would be suspicious. So he stays where he is and tries not to think about what this means. And like, Harry is not stupid. He opens his eyes and looks around the room until he sees Cisco. Everyone is fussing around him, Caitlin is measuring his pulse but Harry just looks at Cisco as if he knows. But he can't know, Cisco tells himself.

 

“What is going on?” Harry asks.

 

Everyone turns to Cisco.

 

“I didn't think it would actually affect you this much,” Cisco says. “In my defense.”

 

“What is going on?” Harry repeats.

 

“You're bound to this earth.”

 

You're bound to me, Cisco doesn't say. He doesn't know whose fault this is or how it happened. But he can see it, like a string between them and right now it had almost ripped when Harry tried to return to Earth-2. Cisco doesn't think about what would have happened then.

 

“Excuse me,” Harry says. He pushes Caitlin away softly. “I feel fine.”

 

“Yeah, and apparently you should stay here to keep it that way,” Cisco says.

 

Harry and Jesse exchange looks and Cisco realizes the trouble he is in.

 

And then it catches up to him like a phantom pain, the pull on the string, and he breathes through it and hopes no one notices. Harry comes over to him and grabs his shoulder and Cisco thinks, skin, skin, I need you to touch my skin, and he tries to look like Harry leaving didn't just almost kill him.

 

“It's not unusual,” Cisco says and wonders if Harry can feel this, too. “Except that this isn't your earth.”

 

Harry gapes at him and still has his hand on Cisco's shoulder and Cisco wants to pull him closer just to heal what might have been broken then when there were a thousand universes separating them. But he doesn't. Because Harry cannot know. Because Harry would kill him.

 

“What does that mean?” Harry asks.

 

“You know how everything is connected with each other,” Cisco explains. “Some things have a stronger connections than others. I see it every day. But I have never seen the effect it has if these things get separated too far from each other.”

 

Cisco has seen this kind of bond between people and he has never believed in destiny but this doesn't feel like something that was supposed to happen. It just happened. It wasn't there when Harry first came to this world, it was something that had developed, grown without Cisco noticing until one day he had woken up and he could feel Harry's heart beating in another part of town.

 

“So I can never go home again?” Harry asks quietly so only Cisco can hear it, and it's small and vulnerable, and Cisco thinks, you can but you'd have to take me with you and I don't know if you want that.

 

Cisco takes two steps back and Harry follows until he shakes his head as if he's awakening from a dream. The crease between his eyebrows deepens and Cisco knows that the beautiful machine that is Harry's brain is starting to work the problem. He can almost see the thoughts shooting through it like stars, burning and crashing. How long will it take him to figure it out?

 

The other people are talking around them but Harry is still staring at him and Cisco can't tear his eyes away. Harry takes a step closer, and Cisco thinks, no, you're a jerk and old and you look like _him_ , this is not happening. And he knows that he could separate them, that he could cut the string that hangs between them like potential. But he doesn't.

 

Cisco turns on his heels and leaves the room and somehow he manages even if the air feels as thick as butter, somehow he manages, somehow he remembers how to do that: walk away from Harry. The atmosphere is snapping and sizzling around him, telling him that he is walking in the wrong direction.

 

II.

“What if this is my fault,” Cisco says to Harry a week later.

 

They have been trying to find a way for Harry to get back to Earth-2 and Cisco has refused to open a portal or volunteer any information.

 

Harry looks up from whatever he is working on, and they're alone in the room so Cisco reaches over and takes Harry's glasses off. He didn't imagine it to happen this way.

 

“Close your eyes,” Cisco says.

 

Harry complies without saying a word and Cisco wonders what Harry thinks he is going to do. He trails a finger along Harry's cheekbone, amazing that he can just do this, that Harry lets him. Then he settles his hand comfortable over Harry's neck, pulse beating under his palm. And he shows Harry what he cannot see.

 

The bond brims bright orange between them, falling out of the center of Cisco's chest and leading to Harry's chest. When Harry opens his eyes and sees it he startles but Cisco's hand on his neck keeps him where he is. Harry's gaze drifts from the bond to Cisco's face.

 

“What is it?” He asks.

 

“The thing that's keeping you here,” Cisco says and he's surprised his voice doesn't waver.

 

III.

“I know someone we can ask about this,” Cisco says and Harry, who hasn't said anything at all until now, nods.

 

Cisco tries to steady his hands while he puts on his goggles. At least Harry didn't punch him. But this brooding silence is not much better. He opens a portal and Harry steps beside him. Cisco hesitates for a moment than he grips Harry's arm because it's a long way and it's easy to get lost between the worlds.

 

Inside the portal it's dark and frizzy. Without a speedster pulling you through it you can really take in everything around you. Mostly there isn't much to see unless you come to places where the portal borders other worlds. Cisco has seen enough of other worlds to not let it stop him but he has to drag Harry along who's eyes keep lingering on different lives, on different earths.

 

When they finally exit the portal he lets go of Harry even though he feels the loss of contact like a sting.

 

“Oh hey,” Cisco says as he swirls around in his chair.

 

They're in a room that is cramped with computers and screens and tools and things that they don't recognize. This earth's Cisco sits in the middle of the chaos like a king on his throne, bright smile and glimmering eyes. He wears slim-fitted sweatpants, a black shirt and a gray sweater. His hair is long, the sides braided in intricate patterns. A tattoo curls around his left eye and down his cheekbone. He jumps up to greet them.

 

“Good to see you, Harrison,” He exclaims as he shakes Harry's hand. “Believe me, meeting one of you, you know the whole terrible bunch. Please, call me Penta, to avoid confusion.” He pats Cisco on the back. “Glad you made it. Talking in person is a whole different deal than that whole chatter through the waves things.” He mimics a wave with his hand.

 

“Terrible bunch?” Harry asks weakly. Cisco, Earth-1 Cisco, snorts.

 

“He never visits,” Penta complains, waving at a couple of picture frames on a shelf. One of them has another version of Harrison Wells in it, bundled up in warm clothes, snow drifting past him while Jesse and Cisco are rubbing snow in each others face in front of him. “Haven't seen him in years,” Penta adds as he cleans up two chairs for his visitors to sit in. “And I never hear anything good from other worlds, either,” He adds with a look to Cisco.

 

Cisco feels a bit bad now, because it's true, he mostly vented to Penta about how annoying Harry is but that didn't contradict that he was kind of amazing, too. Harry glares at him but he ignores it. That's not why they're here.

 

“So, I see you have a problem,” Penta says when he's in his chair again.

 

“I don't know how it happened,” Cisco confesses quietly.

 

“Now that's not true, is it,” Penta says and crosses his legs. “You did it. Maybe not consciously but connections like this don't happen accidentally. Normally they only appear in nature, y'know with people that are meant to be together. But it's not like fate. Sometimes these people don't even meet in their lifespan. They feel that something is missing of course. But there is nothing that forces you to stay together.”

 

“I tried to go back to my earth,” Harry says. Cisco tries to extract his emotions from his words but Harry talks perfectly calm. “That didn't go so well.”

 

“Oh yeah,” Penta says. “That's probably not a good idea. But isn't one world big enough to avoid each other?”

 

“It's not the same thing when it's not your earth,” Harry insists.

 

“Right,” Penta answers and laughs. “Always forget that. You know, we're kind of at home in every world. Except for Francisco here, who turns off the chatter most of the time.” He glares accusatory at Cisco.

 

“I can't stand Reverb bitching the whole time,” Cisco says defensively. “He's closer to me than to you.”

 

“Reverb?” Harry asks. “I thought he was dead?”

 

Penta snorts. “As if. You can't squash that cockroach.”

 

Harry frowns but then shakes his head. “However interesting your interdimensional network is, that's not why we're here. Isn't there a way to reverse this?”

 

No, Cisco thinks. No, no, no. Panic rises in his throat. He should have seen this coming but it still hurts. Penta must see the hurt in his eyes because he clenches his teeth.

 

“Reverse it?” He laughs bitterly. “You could sever the connection. But I don't know if you would survive it. Your soul, I mean.”

 

“My soul?” Harry asks irritated.

 

“I don't know about you but Cisco would not survive it,” Penta adds. “It's anchored too deep inside him, it's-” He stops himself. “This is not the first time this happened to one of us. Sadly we're all a bit too scared of loss. We tend to cling.”

 

Harry stays quiet and Penta looks back and forth between him and Cisco. Then he sighs.

 

“I'm gonna share some hard truths with you that you might not be comfortable with. But you need to hear them. Then you're gonna go home and deal with it.

 

This bond is formed by love and it only does form when the feeling is reciprocated. And it's not a curse. It can help you, you can draw energy from it. It graces you, Harrison, with some of our gifts. The universe always looks kindly on Cisco Ramon's and those closest to him.”

 

Cisco feels a shiver run down his spine. He doesn't dare to look at Harry. It's all too much. The connection between them that is brimming with energy; the implications of what Penta just said.

 

IV.

They're sitting on the edge of a cliff; Cisco let's his feet swing back and forth over the abyss. Twenty feet down there are waves crashing against the rocks. The ocean stretches to the horizon. Harry is quiet next to him. Cisco still doesn't look at him, looks down on his knees, their bond glowing a deep shade of blue.

 

This had felt like a conversation too personal to have it in STAR Labs so when Cisco had noticed Harry staring once again into another world he had guided him into it.

 

“What earth is this?” Harry asks.

 

“What, like which number?” Cisco asks. “That's totally a Team Flash thing. Um. There is no Cisco Ramon on this earth so it's pretty much uncharted territory.”

 

Now he dares to look over to Harry. He looks over the sea and a small smile is on his face. “This reminds me of a place on my earth.”

 

“I'm sorry for- for all of it,” It breaks out of Cisco. “For keeping you from going home.”

 

Harry looks at him and his eyes are so soft. “I'm not mad at you, Cisco. I'm sure you didn't do it on purpose.”

 

“No, I didn't,” Cisco says and relieve floods through him. And there is something else, a tingling feeling originating in his chest.

 

“Maybe Penta is right,” Harry says. “Maybe it's not a restriction.”

 

Cisco knows that Harry doesn't mean only that, feels it without Harry having to say it. He squints at the sun over their heads. Cisco hasn't really thought about it as a restriction, but as admitting weakness. Even though he knows that caring for people is not a weakness he knows that it's a part of him that people exploit; again and again. He's been called gullible, he's been called naive, he's been called worse. It didn't stop him from caring but it made him be ashamed about it. Especially with Harry- there is so much context, so much speaking against it.

 

His heart speeds up and he startles. He turns to look at Harry who is looking at him, lips slightly parted, gaze wandering over his face. Cisco feels exposed like this; Harry looking at him with no excuse but that he wants to look. And Cisco lets him.

 

Harry leans towards him, slowly raising his arm to trace along Cisco's chest where the bond originates. It's pulsing now, different colors chasing each other; and Cisco is aware that what he is feeling might not be solely his own emotions.

 

“You know that you're way too good for me, right?” Harry asks with a smile playing around his lips.

 

“I highly aware of that,” Cisco says even though he is not so sure about that. “But some of us tens need to give the fives a chance.”

 

“A five. Really?” Harry asks and his smile gets wider.

 

“Maybe a 7 and a half on good days,” Cisco retorts, smiling back at Harry. They're closer now and Cisco doesn't even remember who closed the distance.

 

“I-,” Harry starts but he looks kind of lost.

 

“You don't have to say anything,” Cisco says and it's true. He feels it pulsing through the bond; Harry's surprise, his excitement, his confusion and most importantly, the pure affection for Cisco. It leaves Cisco breathless and shaking. It is more intimate than any words could ever be.

 

Harry slowly pushes his flat hand on Cisco's chest; carefully, as if he is testing how far he can go. Then he lets it glide up until he cups Cisco's face. Cisco closes his eyes. The universe quiets down for once. There is only the sound of Harry's breath and his own and the waves under their feet.

 

V.

It's astounding that life just settles; always does, even under the most absurd circumstances. They stay on Earth-1. Harry does want to go back to his earth at some point but there is no rush. Jesse seems to be happy here.

 

It's not so much different than before, only that he knows that the weird things he sees and feels sometimes come from the bond. His dreams are drenched in blue from time to time but he doesn't remember them well enough to tell if they are vibes. Sometimes the space ripples around him or matter makes sound. It's all very strange and he can only guess at how it must feel like to be Cisco.

 

He doesn't always see the bond, but he doesn't have to. He hears it in Cisco's laugh and sees it in his eyes and tastes it in every kiss.

 


End file.
